1. Field of the Invention
Aspects of the present invention generally relate to a communication apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, mobile terminal apparatuses such as cameras and mobile phones having wireless communication functions are in widespread use. Along with a widespread use of the mobile terminal apparatuses, a control load of a base station that controls the mobile terminal apparatuses has become an issue. As a technique for reducing such a control load of the base station, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-46380 discusses a system in which a mobile station performs, with respect to a base station, position registration operations of mobile terminal apparatuses that exist in the mobile station such as a train or a bus as a representative of the mobile terminal apparatuses. As another technique for collectively transmitting information of other devices by a certain device, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-243756 discusses a system in which a representative device is selected from among a plurality of devices connected to a network based on a device performance, and the representative device collectively transmits information of peripheral devices.
On the other hand, in recent years, the augmented reality (AR) technology has been available which displays a captured image captured by a camera or the like by combining with attribute information of an object in the captured image. As a camera utilizing the AR technology, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-305717 discusses an imaging apparatus which performs facial recognition processing on a captured image using face information obtained from a mobile information device or the like, and displays information concerning a specified person combined with the captured image.
If a certain device collectively transmits information pieces of other devices as discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-46380 or No. 2007-243756 to the AR system discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-305717, it is conceivable that efficiency of wireless communication bands to be used for notifying information such as face information is improved.
However, according to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-46380, a predetermined device included in the mobile station transmits information collectively in an environment such as in the mobile station in which movement is restricted for a certain period of time such as in a train or bus. Further, according to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-243756, devices connected to an indoor network autonomously operate to select a representative device which transmits information as a representative of the devices. In other words, in the conventional techniques, a configuration for another mobile terminal apparatus to collectively transmit information pieces sent out from mobile terminal apparatuses carried by an owner and movable without restriction is not taken into consideration.
For example, assuming a case in which owners of mobile terminal apparatuses receive information concerning a partner apparatus at a moment when they pass each other. Between the apparatuses which are moving such that mutual relative positions are separated away from each other, a distance increases with time. Even if either one of such apparatuses transmits by proxy information of the other apparatus together with information concerning its own apparatus, it is feared that yet another apparatus which receives proxy transmission cannot make use of the information transmitted by proxy.
For example, in the above-described AR system, supposing a camera receives face information concerning an apparatus of which information is transmitted by proxy, an owner of the apparatus of which information is transmitted by proxy needs to be present within an imaging range to identify an individual using the face information from the captured image. However, it is difficult to take a photograph including respective owners of the apparatuses which are moving such that the mutual relative positions are separated away from each other as described above, and there is a high possibility that either one the owners will be present beyond the imaging range. In other words, it is unnecessary to perform proxy transmission of face information between the apparatuses in positional relationship beyond the imaging range of the camera, because a person cannot be identified from an image which the camera has captured using the face information transmitted by proxy.
On the other hand, if mobile terminal apparatuses transmit information concerning their own apparatuses respectively, the wireless communication bands to be used will increase, and the wireless communication bands to be used for other communications will become tight. Therefore, it is desired to perform control to collectively transmit by proxy information concerning other apparatuses which are deemed necessary to be transmitted by proxy, and not to transmit by proxy information which is not necessary to be transmitted by proxy or will be no longer necessary to be transmitted by proxy if it is received information.